Electric-light fixture



Dec. 28, 1948. G. B. BENANDER 2,457,521

ELECTRIC LIGHT FIXTURE Filed Jan; 3, 1946 Ear- Inventor: George B. Benander;

b His Attorneg.

Patented Dec. 28, 1948 UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE ELE'CTBIO-LIGHTFIXTURE George B;.Benander, Oaklawn, R. I., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Monowatt Incorporated, Providence, R. I., a corporation of Connecticut Application January 3,1946, Serial No. 638,776

The present invention relates to electric light fixtures of the type termed usually pin-up."

lamps, this being an'electric light fixture adapted. to be hung on a wall and having a length of cord with a plug at its end for connection with an electric wall' receptacle.

The object" of my invention is to provide an improved' pin-up lamp and an improved lamp socket adapted for use in a pin-up lamp, which is unusually simple in structure and capable of being manufactured at low' cost; andfor a consideration of what I believe tobe-novel and my invention; attention is-direeted to the following specification and to theclaims-appended'tliereto.

Inthe drawing, Fig. Iis a side elevation, partly a lamp contact or screw shell housing ld-located above wall 8; and a wiring space- H located between walls 8 and. In the portion of the wiring space I I in casing part 5'is a wiring shelf '7 Claims. (Cl. 173358) or table l2; also in such portion is a passage 13- locatedat about the center of shelf or table [2 through. which extends theend of an" electric cord l4'. Inwalls 8 and: Sand shelf: i2 are rectangular passages l4; Passages M are partlyin casing part" 4 and partly in casing part 5 so thatiin each part they are in the formof notches as showirclearlyin'Fig. 3.

Viewed'iromanother. aspect, the'wall's Band 9 and; shelf 12 incasing part. 5-form a transverse partition in thettop surface of which is a transversely extending: wiring recess :across which ex tendztwo spacedlslotseand at the center of which isxa' passage foran electric cord. The portion of: the. wiring recess. H in casing part 4: has no function other than that of decreasing the amount of material required.

In. housing ID. are lamp. contacts. which as shown. comprise -a',screw'shell [5 of suitable metal. and; azcenter contact i'iiiof. similar metal. Formed integral with: shelll5 and; center contact; 15 re I spectively' are extensions: Hf and i8 which'fit 2 edgewise in passages I 4 haveinturned ends l9 and 20 which-fit under wall 9 to holdthe shell and center contact from axial movement. In housing ID are projections 2! which fit into two openings 22 in shell I5 tohold the shell from turning. The end of the electric cord is brought in through passage l3,

one conductor extends each way, and the bared ends of the conductors are positioned in passages M in the casing part 5 beneath and around the extensions l7 and IS. The portions of passages Id which are in the table I! may be slightly wider thanthe portions in walls 8 and 9'to accommodate the conductor ends.

In assembling the socket, the casing part 5 may be positioned in a suitable fixture, the elec tric cord end passed through opening I3 and the ends of the two conductors of the cord bent sidewise in opposite directions across the shelf to position the bared= conductor ends across the slots in the shelf. The screw shell l5 and center contact [6 are then positioned in casing part 5, the extensions Hand [8 beingforced down into I theslotsand" carrying the bared conductor ends with them sothat the conductor ends are fixed under the extensions. The casing part 4 is then placedon casing part 5 and the two parts are fastened together'by the rivet 6. There is thus provided a unitary wired socket.

It will be noted that the. structural parts are all assembled in the one-casing part 5, which may be termed the base'part, and that the casing part 4 functions as a cover part. This arrangement is of substantial advantage from an assembly standpointin that it enables the lamp, socket to be ass'embledon; the end of the cord at low cost. The shelf I2 in the and with simple fixtures. basepart performs an important function in that it supports the wire ends during assembly. and insures that they are properly positioned.

It will be. seen that the socket comprises only five parts, the two casing parts 4 and 5, thetwo' contact parts 15 and I6 and the rivet 5. There are no binding screws, fastening screws or bolts. And, as will be clear from the foregoing, the structure can be assembled with the cord attached very quickly and easily'and by the use of a simple assembling fixture; It will-be noted from Figs 2 and. 3that the two conductor ends of the electric cord havea right angle bend across the shelf at.

the inner end of passage l3; This right angle bend in the-conductor ends serves to'pr'ovide'a strainrelieffon the cord; pull on the cord being taken aroundithe' corners and not on the connec- Extensions I! and I8 bracket 2 has an angularly bent end 25 which fits against the flattened portion just below cord passage l3 and is held by bolt 23. The end of the bolt ma thread directly into a tapped opening".

in end 25 or it may pass through an opening in such end and be held by a suitable nut and washer 26.

The other end of the bracket may be fastened to the Wall plate in any suitable way such as by the bolt and nut 27. section. The cord [4 may extend along and be housed by the bracket and be passed through" holes 28 and 29 in wall plate 3. The end of the cord will be provided with a suitable w-all plug (not shown). In the wall plate is an opening 30 for use in hanging the fixtureon a wall.

By my invention, I provide a socket of s mple construction which comprises a minimum number of parts and which is easily and quickly wired when the socket is assembled. The socket with the cord length thereon is easily attached to a bracket to form a pin-up lamp.

The way in which the cord enters the socket and is attached to the contacts therein is especial- Bracket 2 is curved in cross said casing between said transverse walls and the lower end of the casing to hold the casing together whereby a bracket may be attached to the side of the socket by fastening means extending through said hollow rivet.

3. In combination, a lamp socket comprising a casing-split longitudinally to provide complementary casing parts, walls; forming a wiring shelf in one of said parts having narrow'spaced crosswise slots therein, walls defining a passage in the casing, the inner end of which terminates between said slots at the center of said shelf, lamp contacts in the socket, a cord end positioned in said passage having its conductor ends bent in opposite directions along said shelf, strip metal 3 contact members of a thickness equal substantially to the width'of said slots positioned edgewise in said slots, the bared ends of said conductor 2 ends being positioned in said slots beneath said 1y advantageous since by such arrangement I provide a construction in which the connections can be simply and easily made without binding screws and at the same time I provide a satisfactory strain relief for the cord whereby pull on the cord will not affect its connections with the contacts.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: 1. In combination, a lamp socket comprising casing split longitudinally to provide a base part and a cover part, walls forming a wiring shelf in the base part having narrow spaced crosswise slots therein, said base part having a passage in its wal1 the inner end of which terminates between said slots at the center of said shelf, lamp contacts in the socket, a cord extending along said passage having its conductor ends bent at right angles in opposite directions along said shelf, strip metal contact members of a thickness equal substantially to the width of said slots positioned edgewise in said slots, the bared ends of I 2. In combination, a lamp socket comprising a longitudinally split casing having an open end to receive a lamp end and a closed end, transverse walls in the casing spaced from said closed end defining a contact housing and a wiring recess, said walls having transversely spaced axially extending passages therethrough and said casing having an opening through its side wall in line with and communicating with said wiring recess between said passages, a pair of lamp contacts in said contact housing having extensions positioned in said passages, an electric cord which extends through said opening, has its two conductors extending in opposite directions transversely of said recess and its bared ends positioned in the passages and held under said extensions, and a" hollow rivet which extends transversel through contact members to make electrical contact therewith and attach the conductor ends to the socket, means for connecting said contact mem-; bers to said lamp contacts, and means for fastening the casing parts together. V, 4. In combination, a lamp socketcomprising a casing splitlongitudinally to provide complemene tary casing parts, walls forming a Wiring shelf in one of said parts having narrow spaced crosscontact members of a thickness equal substan.

tially to the width of said slots integral with said lamp contacts positioned edgewise in said slots... the bared ends of said conductor ends being po-. sitioned in said slots beneath said contact mem-.

bers to make electrical contact therewith and attach the conductor ends to the socket, said contact members and said casing housing having engaging parts to hold the contact members against axial movement, and means for fastening the casing parts together.

5. In combination, a lamp socket comprising a longitudinally split casing having an open end to receive a lamp end and a closed end, transverse walls in the casing spaced from said closed end 1 defining a contact-housing and a wiring recess, said walls having transversely spaced axially eX- tending passages therethrough and said casing having an opening through its side wall in line with and communicating with said .wirin'g recess betWeen said passages, a pair of lamp contacts in said contact housing having extensions positioned in said passages, an electric cord which extends through said opening, has its two conductors extending in opposite directions transversely of said recess and its bared ends positioned in the passages and held under said extensions, and means fastening the casing parts together.

6. In combination, a lamp socket comprising a casing split longitudinally to provide complementary casing parts, walls in one of said parts defining narrow spaced crosswise slots therein,- walls defining a passage in said casing, the innerend of which terminates between said slots, lamp contacts in the socket, a cord end positioned in said passage having its conductor ends bentin opposite directions, strip metal contact members 1 of a thickness equal substantially to the width of said slots, the bared ends of said conductorsv being positioned in said slots beneath saidcontact: I members to make electrical contact therewithz 5 and attach the conductor ends to the socket, means for connecting said contact members to said lamp contacts, and means for fastening the casing parts together.

'7. A lamp socket comprising a casing split longitudinally to provide complementary casing parts, Walls forming a wiring shelf in one of said parts having narrow spaced crosswise slots therein, walls defining a passage in the casing, the inner end of which terminates between said slots at the center of said shelf, in wliich'a cord end may be positioned with its conductor ends bent in opposite directions along the shelf, lamp contacts in the socket, strip metal contact members of a thickness equal substantially to the width of said slots positioned edgewise in said slots adapted to have the bared ends of conductor ends positioned beneath them to make electrical contact therewith and attach the conductor ends to the socket, means for connecting said contact member to said lamp, and means for fastening the casing parts together.

GEORGE B. BENANDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,322,989 Wolcott Nov. 25, 1919 1,551,876 I-Iartmann Sept. 1, 1925 1,824,955 Hubbell Sept. 29, 1931 1,882,791 Ferris Oct. 18, 1932 2,214,024 Knapp Sept. 10, 1940 2,229,403 Benander Jan. 21, 1941 

